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Monday, May 19, 2008

Pennsylvania truckers question Turnpike lease

Jim Runk, president of Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, issued the following statement in response to Gov. Ed Rendell's announcement that Abertis Infraestructuras SA and Citigroup Inc. won the bidding to lease Pennsylvania's greatest asset for 75 years with a cash offer of $12.8 billion:
"The Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association is concerned with the current state of Pennsylvania's aging infrastructure, but the Governor's solution to effectively sell our Turnpike for 75 years does not meet the needs of the transportation community at large. We continue to advocate for viable, long-term alternatives that will put the public's best interest ahead of the for-profit drive of a private entity. We remain committed to pursuing an equitable solution and to discussing any and all options for solving this statewide problem."

"We Pennsylvanians are anxious to repair our transportation infrastructure, but with the federal government planning to evaluate it on a national level in 2009, we should be leery of speeding forward with a plan that does not take federal solutions into account. If we bypass a thoughtful and transparent debate on how to best manage these necessary improvements, we risk punting the ramifications of a near-sighted solution to our children. We urge legislators to consider whether this proposed solution will truly improve travel for Pennsylvania motorists along our main artery."
The Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association was organized to promote the common business interests of persons engaged in the motor transportation industry and is dedicated to effectively representing the concerns of the trucking industry to members, government and regulatory agencies and the general public.

For more information, visit http://www.pmta.org

1 comment:

TONY PHYRILLAS said...

A private company isn't going to give Pennsylvania $12 billion unless it can make a lot more for its bottom line. The only way to make more money and return its $12 billion investment to shareholders is to raise tolls and cut back on employees. The days are numbered for many Turnpike workers should this lease deal go through.